Su Shangwen

Eng Comp 3

Prof. Fallows

13 February 2017

As members of civilized community, most of us are more or less indoctrinated with the

belief that society would reward those who work hard and act justly and that it could never allow

those who commit injustice to prevail. When we are little, the truth of this aged-old belief seems

plainly obvious: if Tommy works hard and writes his exams honestly, he will get rewarded for

his good grades; if he cheats in exams, he will reap punishment accordingly. Given childrens

limited exposure to the real world, it is quite easy for us to be made into believing that the

universe operates in exactly just that manner. However, as we grow older, perhaps in our

moments of teenage rebellion, this simple faith of ours starts to get questioned somewhat. In our

typical adolescent cynicism, we begin to take special notice when people give up the ideals of

justice in order to survive and when society fails miserably to correct injustice. Notwithstanding

this self-acquired suspicion chances are even well into our adulthood we remain at risk of being

swayed by the voice that says a righteous man is always a winner since advocates of

conventional moral lessons never stop peddling us with their same old story of advisement and

admonishment. But, if you are fortunate enough, like I am, to come across films directed by Y

during your adult life, you will find out that in light of the sharp insights offered by Y, a

formidable social critic, words coming from those moral conventionalists, who insist that to

ensure human flourishing morality must be observed without qualification, starts to lose any

remaining grip on you. In fact, seeing a Ys movie is like sitting in a courtroom artfully staged by
him where we, the jury, in our pondering of the cinematic experience of his making, solemnly

witness the grilling of these stubborn conventionalists by an eloquent lawyer like Y who

possesses such intellectual and artistic prowess.

In one of his masterpiece titled The thieves Director Y upends the view of morality as

intrinsically beneficial by exposing to us the contradictions inherent in the actual moral sphere

we inhabit and the complexity of the institutional structures underwriting it. Y passionately

presents his case against conventional wisdom of morality in a plot that revolves around a

working-class protagonist named Antonio who owns a bicycle. This bicycle serves a critical

instrument of work that the livelihood of his entire family depends on. After it gets stolen, a

distressful Antonio goes on an arduous quest to retrieve his treasured possession from his thief.

His mission turns out to be a futile one thanks to the cover-ups and obstructions committed by

the community that harbors this perpetrator. During his search, Antonio comes to the realization

that the justice system is utterly ineffective in giving him any answer. Faced with the merciless

reality, he ends up resorting to the very act that he abhors-stealing a bicycle from his fellow man-

because in his eyes that becomes the only means by which he can ever provide his family again.

The morals of the story is a poignant reminder of how fragile our sense of moral integrity can

become when we are overwhelmed by the harsh social reality surrounding us.

One cinematic feature that the audience notice right away about this film is its industrial

setting. Throughout the movie, the director keeps showing us scenes of bustling city with busy

workers. Right before every major scene, a long shot is utilized to highlight the urban-ness of

the situation. For example, there is a scene depicting a throng of people walking along the

narrow streets, another one showing a dirty old river running along the edge of the city, and still

another one presenting a crowd of workers seeking jobs at an employment window. Although
the specific period and the particular culture reflected in these long shots may appear alien to me,

the underlying theme of industrial decline is a familiar one. I grew up in a de-industrialized city

in the hinterlands of China. **Explain that the audience sympathizes with the common people

and their negative circumstances, thus ultimately sympathizing with Antonio. ** The crash of

industry in my hometown forced unemployed people to compete for jobs. I believe the directors

constant rendering of a sense of desperation among the workers in a time of industrial decline in

this movie is intentional. To any factory worker, a period of industrial decline means the success

of the workers competition depends often on one of the few special things: a skill that other

workers lack, a personal tie to a higher-up that others envy, or perhaps a piece of equipment

others cannot afford. In some cases, these things can take some workers to a significantly better

socio-economic situation. My great aunt, in the 60s, was able to send two of her kids to school

thanks to a sewing machine she inherited from her mother. Conversely, the sudden loss of these

critical things would often entail immediate spiraling-downs in the lives of these people.

Therefore, the director effectively uses the theme of industrial decline to accentuate how

disastrous could mean to an underprivileged worker like Antonio.

Being a good guy and doing hard work does not automatically grant you a life of

happiness. This is one of the central messages that director intend to convey. X employs several

cinematic arrangements to contrast the good nature of Antonio and the tragic outcome of his

personal life. In between many tragic plot developments, director X purposefully introduces

short interludes of almost exaggerated optimism where the saintly Antonio who is beaming with

uplifting aura imbues his audience with his positive vibes. The transition between the good scene
and the tragic is often accompanied by the abrupt change of music rhythm In the shots

describing the harmony in Antonios life, the rhythm is slow, since the movie uses lots of close-

up shots to describe facial expressions, conversations between his family, and other details. In

these sweet scenes, the movie explores in detail how Antonio has aspirations for his future and

loves his family. However, as the speed of the characters actions and the rhythm of the movie

suddenly increases, the negative events take over. This unexpected transition in plot creates the

effect of how people are powerless when things go wrong. For example, in the start of the movie,

Antonio is immersed in the ecstasy of getting a bicycle, which is necessary for him to get a job.

By trading his only blanket for a bicycle, Antonio pays a high price. Even though he has to

tolerate the coldness of the night, he believes he could have a better life by working hard and

sacrificing his comfort. What moves me most is the performance of Antonios son, who keeps

polishing the bicycle until it shines under the sunlight. Every morning the father and son go to

work with smiles on their faces and a small egg roll for lunch. With jobs and hard work, they can

get bread and better their lives. However, hard work could not prevent Antonio from losing his

bicycle and also his job. (In another scene when Antonio gives up his initial effort to find his

bicycle, Antonio decides to enjoy a lunch in a decent restaurant and forget his misery. (To create

the relaxing atmosphere after the tension of searching for the bicycle, the movie emphasizes the

spatial transition between the restaurant and outdoor scenes. The outdoor scenes are associated to

the process of losing and searching for his bicycle. In this process, Antonio experiences

disappointment and anxiety. As Antonio enters the restaurant, he embraces a completely new

world of hilarious bands and cheerful customers. The separation of space signifies the separation

of different emotions, as Antonio says:Forget everything, lets get drunk. However, Antonio

could not be separated from his misery even in this cheerful environment. The wealth of food at
another table reminds Antonio of his poverty and induces him to remember his problems again

). I was particularly taken away by the series of contrasts when I

first viewed the movie. On the hand, I was presented with the integrity and the initiative of the

protagonist Antonio, which was depicted so movingly in those On the other hand, I was

confronted with the nastiness and the helplessness of his life reflected so strikingly in those

tragic scenes. The discrepancy between the good of Antonio and the bad of his life situations

suggests very clearly to me that there is something wrong about the society that allow that to

happen. It gets me to think just how prevalent this kind of unfairness still is in our contemporary

world. Working class family in my country can barely survive any major illness because the

honest money they earn and the little health insurance coverage they receive pales to the

enormous medical expenses of the treatment they need while in the face of similar critical illness,

corrupt officials in our government who made colossal earning through bribery have all the

benefit of receiving life-saving treatment at a negligible personal cost.

What happens when good honest work fail to provide you and your family with most

basic needs? What happens when the economy is such that most working-class people can no

longer bear the tragic reality of their daily situation? Well, the directors answer to these question

is this: they become thieves . Throughout the movie, the director intentionally blurs the

appearance of the bicycle thief, therefore not portraying the thief as just a symbol of evil. When

he is placed in the crowd of people, the bicycle thief is just an ordinary man, a victim similar to

Antonio in the corrupt society. The name of the movie is Bicycle Thieves, rather than Bicycle

Thief, to illustrate that all the people in the movie contribute to Antonios situation. In the scene

of the thief stealing the bicycle, the director employs extreme long shots to portray the thief as a

normal citizen in the populous street. In the scene of Antonio trying to catch the thief, the shot
only shows the back of thief who then disperses into the crowd. The noise of the people and their

aggressive actions take the audiences attention away from the thief, who functions as an element

of suspense in the movie. Since the audience is accustomed to the traditional type of movie about

good and evil, the audience will be interested in exploring the motivation of the thief and where

the stolen bicycle goes. The rest of the plot introduces how Antonio tries to find his bicycle, and

in this process, he encounters people relevant to the bicycle thief and his stolen bicycle. This

allows the audience to realize that cooperation in the thiefs community and the inability of the

government bear the responsibility of Antonios misfortune. The director shows to us that moral

integrity becomes a luxury that individual could not afford and the collective that are supposed to

promote it becomes the agency that undermines it when the socio-economic reality facing the

individuals and his community is so unbearable.

When Antonio finds the bicycle thief, he is struck by the collaboration of the thiefs

community to protect him. When Antonio rushes into the thiefs home and catches the thief, both

of them are pushed out into the street. A crowd of neighbors assembles. The shot moves to follow

Antonio as he grabs the thiefs collar with anger in the chaos of the background. The thiefs mom

also tries to help her son by shouting loudly out of the window and consoling her son. When the

police arrive, the chaos and the thiefs mom calm down under the stagnant long shot. As the

police come to the thief and his moms room, we see a small crude room without the bicycle, and

a stream of steam rising from a pot. Everyone follows a way of morality: the mom cares about

her son and tries to support the family; neighbors defend the community from the intruders;

polices follow the procedures and understand the misery of Antonio; and the thief steals a bicycle

only to sustain his life. Therefore, the misfortune of Antonio could not be prevented as a result of

this process. Government and authority could not solve the problem either. Antonio believes that
the police could help him, but finding police could not solve anything. The community around

the thief respects government authority, but they have to cooperate within themselves to

persevere through harsh times.

Although undoubtedly individuals even the whole community where these individual

belongs to tend to blur the line of right and wrong in times of desperation, there is still real

human decency to be found even in this world of relativized morality. For example, in one scene,

Antonio asks his friend to wait for a job. Moreover, Antonio puts his bicycle along the wall

casually, asking passersby to watch his bicycle. Those actions signify Antonios confidence in

society. Most people who contact Antonio also exemplify outstanding humanity. For example, in

the famous raining scene, a group of preachers stand along the street with Antonio and his son.

When one of the preachers accidentally punches little Antonio, the young boy pushes him.

However, in the close shot focusing on the preachers face, he keeps his smile and tenderly

fondles the head of little Antonio. In another scene, it is Antonios lovely wife, a taxi driver, and

the police who take the responsibility to help Antonio. In these long shots faithfully recording the

background, people in the street keep smiling and talking freely with each other. Such warmth in

people offers another contrast between the harmony among people and misfortunes of

individuals.

The current world situation and individuals within it resemble such conflict. Although we

know that the return of the bicycle to Antonio would make him better and make the world fair as

we expect, the bicycle never comes back. Even though we know what a better world might bea

world with globalization and free flow of trade and people, a world with more equality and

sympathy towards poor people the victory of Donald Trump and other conservative leaders

over Europe reminds us that reality is not satisfying. Just like bicycle thieves are good members
in communities and family and work hard to sustain their lives, conservative groups also have

their morality and want to pursue better lives. Behind the victory of conservative leaders in

elections are the neglected demands of a large group under the transformation of the world. To

some extent, they could be the victims of history, despite the election of Donald Trump creating

another group of victims. It offers a good parallel to how people could be both bicycles thieves

and hard workers. If the government had distributed more welfare and given more opportunities

to the poor factory workers, and if conservative groups had realized globalization could benefit

them in the long term, the dilemma could have been prevented. As a direct victim of the new

policy concerning immigration and work visas, I am powerless to do anything. The conservative

immigration sets high barrier-I have a get job of $120,000 salary to stay, which is unattainable.

Only in a more open world I could get opportunities to achieve my dreams.

After depicting the long process of failing to retrieve the bicycle, the dramatization of

Antonio himself stealing a bicycle further reveals the tragic fate of an individual and provides the

rationalization to the whole group of bicycle thieves. The movie prevents the clich of

constructing an opposition between good and evil and therefore leads the audience to explore the

deeper causes for Antonios and other peoples adversity. In that situation, Antonio lost the

possibility to have a job and sustain the family through his hard work. This fact implies Antonio

cannot rely on working-morality and social relationships to sustain his life. The fast cutting

between shots of Antonio and the bicycles along the streets conveys the anxiety of Antonio. In

the first several shots, the distance is close so we can see the deep sadness on Antonios face.

Then the shots become longer, so we can see Antonio walking back and forth. The advancement

from facial to physical actions, along with the high tempo of shot shifts and music, generate an

effect of anxiety, describing how Antonios resistance breaks under the pressure of life. Finally,
when the rhythm slows down and the shot becomes stagnant again, Antonio becomes a bicycle

thief. Another important characteristic is the contrast between Antonio and a mass of bicycles.

(When the shot shows the huge mass of bicycles, people are happy and bicycles are regulated ).

However, when music shift to Antonio, we see he is isolated. This implies the loneliness of

Antonio confronting the large social group. Given that in many shots Antonio is isolated in shots,

we can deduct he lacks social support and stays lonely. While the movie does not give deeper

motivation for the people who steal Antonios bicycle, the encounter of Antonio is an epitome of

all of them. Social support is crucial for Antonio to integrate into the society. If he had gotten

help and understanding from other people, he would not have been forced to steal the bicycle.

At the end of the movie, the open ending of how Antonio dissolves into the movement of

the crowd offer many possibilities. In one sense, it signifies the insignificance of individuals

misery and their ultimate fate of progressing on with their lives . The short shot traces Antonios

face under the sunset, who tries to keep calm under the gaze of his son. But the disappearance of

the sun in the next second implicates that Antonio gives up his final effort to maintain dignity, as

Antonia stares at his son and cries. The thorn of unemployment finally overwhelms him. Then

the shot gradually moves backward so that more and more people are incorporated in the shot.

People are smiling and chatting with each other, walking toward their jobs or homes. It is

another harmonious day when most people are still good. Suddenly the shot reverses its direction

and becomes stagnant so that we see crowds of people are still moving towards the direction of

sunset, and Antonia gradually disappears in the movement of people. No matter whether Antonia

has a bicycle or not, or how miserable he is, he must accept his fate, just like I must accept what

new immigration policy brings to me.

 The open ending also incorporates positive possibilities besides the apparent tragedy. The

gentle man forgives Antonio for the sake of little Antonio, exemplifying a respect for humanity.

A further implication is a reconciliation between different statuses and groups. A middle-class

person could understand the situation of one with a different background so that hope still exists

in the movie. In addition, Antonio returns to the crowd in the end, incorporating the possibility of

integrating into society. In the current world when conservative politicians and fragmentation

gain support, communication and openness are necessary for solving the dilemma. As a result,

the breakup of prejudice and giving consideration to individuals and communities unique

situations, as indicated in the movie, are crucial steps.

For me, the positive implication of this movie is that it helps me to better understand

people in a poor situation. It also helps me to reconcile expectations and reality. Released 70

years ago, Bicycle Thieves is a movie that represents that time period, capturing the real

environment as well as the sorrow and happiness of the main character. The close shots on

Antonio construct the humanity of an individual rather than a plain symbol of the proletariat, so

that I can understand a mans powerlessness in the negative environment. In my journey to

pursue my dreams, I am always in constant anxiety, shifting back and forth between sorrow and

happiness. When the sun dawns signifying the end of a day, I leave school toward the west, the

direction of the last sunlight. I feel I dont know where to go, just like the fate of Antonio.

However, the movie tells me sometimes I should just go forward, and I can rely on the warmth of

family and friends who are fires in the cold world.